Front Row Joe

Front Row Joe
Front Row Joe in a Cinemark promo from c. 1990
First appearance	1988
In-universe information
Species	Tabby cat
Occupation	Mascot of Cinemark Theatres

Front Row Joe is an animated anthropomorphic cat developed as the mascot and promotional character for the American movie theater chain Cinemark Theatres in 1988. The mascot was created by the now-defunct animation studio Willming-Reams Animation in San Antonio, Texas. He appeared in policy trailers and advertisements until he was retired in 1998 when Cinemark rebranded to an Art Deco design.^[1] The mascot returned in 2004 for Cinemark's 20th anniversary before leaving in 2009, and again in 2018 with a significantly different look.^{[citation needed]} He no longer appears in policy trailers, but still does appear in promotional advertisements and special events.

Character

Joe is a regular Cinemark visitor and serves as both the protagonist of each animation and the primary example of an upstanding theater guest, following all the policies laid out in each of Cinemark's notices, and encouraging others such as Elton to follow. His reputation as such a guest lights up any part of the theater he's in, with Cinemark staff very happy to see him, some cases borders on the level of celebrity status, for example, laying out the red carpet for a limo carrying him.

Other characters

• Starstruck Penny (originally Popcorn Penny) Penny is a light orange cat with a purple hair bow, green shirt, and purple skirt. She serves as Joe's love interest, first appearing in 1991.^{[citation needed]}
• Clyde is a dark grey cat with a blue jacket and red nose. He serves as the antagonistic foil to Joe and such, is the primary example of boorish behaviors and violations against theater policies such as littering and smoking.^{[citation needed]} Despite his negative disposition and joy brought from causing disruptions, he has been shown to have a sort of limit, such as when Joe gifted him and Elton gift certificates for the holiday season after they had secretly planted dynamite in a gift box given to Joe, causing the pair to shed a tear and reflect, stealing the gift box back without Joe knowing, only for Elton to recover the concessions inside and for Clyde to take the brunt of the explosion.
• Elton is a short chubby brown cat with a red nose who is second fiddle to Clyde. While Elton, as Clyde's secondary, partakes in some frowned-upon actions either following or at his own behest, he is the first between the two to either willingly correct his behavior, prompt Clyde to correct his behavior, or in one case, snicker towards his friend's punishment at the hands of an usher. However as time has progressed, Elton became more of a positive guest, eventually even playing regular third wheel with Joe and Popcorn Penny.
• The main male ushers are blue cats who took the main singing role until 1991, when Joe filled the role, though the male ushers reappeared a year later supplying background vocals. A trio of pink-colored female cats based on the Andrew Sisters replaced the original male trio in 1991, and appeared alongside them in 1992.^{[citation needed]}
• An infant orange cat is also present in each, serving as the example of crying children, which Cinemark instructs to be taken to the lobby until they can be calmed down.
• Other ushers in the form of bulldogs also occasionally appear, usually in response to Clyde's behavior, prompting them to physically intervene.

Appearance

Joe has orange fur and originally wears a purple jacket with a necklace featuring the Cinemark logo until 1990 when he started buttoning his jacket. The logo then appeared on the right side of his jacket, closer to the collar of his shirt. He was a silent character until when he started taking the singing role in 1991.^[2] Joe has also worn a scarf in a holiday policy trailer and occasionally wears sunglasses.^{[citation needed]} On a policy trailer made by Cinema Concepts^[3] for Cinemark's 20th anniversary in 2004, Joe made a comeback in CGI wearing a tuxedo with a red tie.^[4]

In 2018, a new CGI design was created by ATK PLN for Joe, significantly changing his look. He now resembles more of a tabby cat with beige color added on much of his fur including his hands, feet, upper tail, eyebrows, mouth, and ears. He wears a red and white-striped shirt, a black necktie covered with a red sleeveless shirt, and black jeans. His accessories include a purple lanyard, name pin, and digital watch. His purple lanyard describes Joe's age to be in his teen years since its provided to Cinemark employees under 18, despite originally being an adult before the design. He occasionally wears other outfits such as a jungle explorer and summer outfit for promotional images.^[5]

Merchandise

During Joe's original run, cinemas offered merchandising such as plastic kid-sized cups, plush, and t-shirts.^[6][7][8]

References